Dependency
by SaltyJak
Summary: She wasn't too stubborn to admit that she owed her roommate quite a lot. There was letting her live with him, forgiving her for all the horrible things she had done to him when he was younger, but most important of all was...


Timmy Turner awoke to the sound of a crash echoing through his apartment and sighed. Were it the first time, he would've grabbed a baseball bat or some other blunt instrument and confronted the home invader... But this was not the first time. Nor was it a break-in. He sat up in bed, yawned, and stretched, listening to the cracking and popping sounds of his bones as he did. Apparently, letting a certain someone move in and live with him meant that sleeping in was no longer one of the few luxuries he could enjoy.

The brunet threw the covers off himself and got out of bed. Luckily for him(and his roommate, else he would've strangled her), he didn't have work today, so even though he didn't get to sleep in, at least today was going to be a relatively lazy, carefree day. As he passed by his dresser, he noticed the alarm clock read the time as seven in the morning. Far too early to be up and walking around investigating strange crashing noises, in his opinion anyway.

Despite the fact that the sun would already be well past rising, the apartment was dark. Mostly because his roommate always drew the curtains when she got up, and neither of them were about to turn on lights while the sun was out. Electricity was expensive. Or they were both cheap, take your pick.

Timmy sighed again as he walked down the hall and arrived at the kitchen. Scurrying about, seemingly looking for... _something_... was a figure in a dark-colored cloak. The front of said cloak was open, but it was too dark to see inside it, and the cloak had been pulled up over the figure's head like a hood. The only parts of the figure that were exposed were a couple of pale-skinned, slender arms. "Dammit! Why can't he just leave the broom out for once-" the figure was apparently trying to whisper and avoid making more noise.

"Ahem." Timmy cleared his throat loudly, causing the figure to jump in surprise, and said figure's hood to fall away from its head, revealing bright, fiery red(and quite disheveled from sleep) hair. The figure, now clearly revealed to be a girl, quickly spun around to face the buck-toothed teen, revealing a pair of striking pink eyes.

"Oh... Uh, hey Roomie. I... woke you up, didn't I?" despite the fact that she was likely trying to show sorrow, she was also sporting a Cheshire grin.

"Y'know, I go out of my way to keep from waking you up when _you're_ sleeping. Is it too much to ask for you to show me the same kindness?" Timmy was torn between trying to reprimand his roommate, and letting her snafu slide because... well, she _did_ look rather cute right now...

"It was an accident, I swear!" Vicky threw her arms up in defense. "Damn blanket caught on the glass I was using and knocked it off the counter!"

"And do you know how you could avoid this happening?"

"By..." Vicky sighed. "Not wearing a blanket around the house..."

"Mm-hm. Exactly right." Timmy walked past her and reached into the spot between the fridge and the wall, and produced the broom and dustpan. "I may be older now, but I'm still human. I _like_ to sleep in."

"Right, older. Eighteen is just _so_ old. I assume you're already feeling the cold, arthritic grip of senility?"

"Nice to know your sense of humor can get up this early..." Timmy swept up the pieces of broken glass and dumped them in the trash bin, then returned the broom and dustpan to their hiding place next to the fridge. "Breakfast?"

"I could eat." Vicky stretched her arms(while keeping her hold on her blanket) over her head and sat down at the kitchen table.

"The usual?"

"Sure! But not too much! You know-"

"I know, I know..." Timmy set about cooking their usual day-off breakfast: Eggs, bacon, toast, sausage... All the things they wished they could have every day for breakfast, but couldn't due to their occasionally hectic schedules. "Here." Timmy set Vicky's plate down first, then set his own, slightly more filled plate down on the table.

"Thank you!" Vicky sweetly exclaimed as she dug into her food.

"You have plans today or something?" Timmy asked as he bit into a slice of toast, grimacing as he realized one side was burnt.

"Nope!" the red-head had already managed to finish her breakfast, and got up from the table to put her plate in the sink.

"_Someone's hungry..." _"Then why wake me up so early?"

"I told you, it was an accident-"

"There _are _no accidents with you." Timmy interrupted her.

"Ah, you know me too well." Vicky brought her hand up to rest on her cheek. "But... you already know why I woke you up early."

Even in the darkness of the apartment, Timmy could still see that playful glint in his roommate's eyes. "And why you're in such a good mood this morning..."

"Hey! I'm always in a good mood!" she stomped her foot on the floor, causing the blanket she wore to slip off her shoulders, revealing the light green tank-top on underneath, though she was quick to pull the blanket back up over her shoulders.

"Nice jammies." Timmy stood up from the table and placed his own plate in the sink, before walking back over to the table to lean against it.

"You should see what else I'm_ not_ wearing..." Vicky winked at him and smirked, immediately causing the brunet to blush and turn away from her.

"So no ah... No other plans today?" Timmy moved into the living room and sat down on the couch, then turned on the TV, hoping to distract his mind from thinking about Vicky and her possible lack of clothing.

"Nope. Just me, you-" Vicky leapt at Timmy, landing in his lap and essentially straddling him. "And maybe a bit of fun on the couch." she grabbed the remote out of his hand and turned off the TV, then tossed the remote across the room. "And no TV."

"It's not gonna take _that_ long..."

"Not much confidence in yourself?" Vicky brought her arms up and let them come to rest on Timmy's shoulders as she leaned closer.

"I was talking about you..."

She chuckled as she leaned even closer and bumped her forehead against his, letting it come to rest there. "True enough... Isn't this nice?" she felt Timmy slip his hands into her blanket and slide them up her legs until coming to rest on her hips.

"What?"

"This. You like having someone to hold, and someone to hold you, don't you?"

It took Timmy a moment to realize what she said, as he had been more interested in her skin and how pale it looked in the dim light of the apartment. He briefly wondered if she was sick... Before he _did_ realize what she said, causing him to quickly pull his hands off her, and out of her little cloak.

"Something wrong?" she smiled as she moved her own hands up to cup his cheeks, the action caused her nose to brush against his. She watched him as he frowned and glanced away, almost ashamedly.

Her hands felt cool on his cheeks. "We shouldn't make this out to be something it isn't..." He felt her flinch upon saying this, he had clearly touched on a nerve with that comment.

It was her turn to frown and look at him sadly now. "Something it... isn't. When you had your hands on me just now, what was that? A mistake?" she was trying to keep from getting angry with him... But he wasn't making it easy with that comment.

"...It was. My mistake."

She felt her grip on him tighten unconsciously. Where her cupping his cheeks had been close to loving a few seconds ago, it was now threatening as she began to dig her nails into his cheeks. "Was me moving in here a mistake too? Our friendship? Was that also a _mistake_?!"

"Vicky." Timmy brought his right hand up and rested it on her wrist.

She instantly loosened her grip on him and returned to merely cupping his cheeks. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"It's all right..." Timmy wrapped his arms around Vicky and pulled her close so her forehead rested against his once more.

"It isn't..." ignoring her mind's screams that this was another 'mistake', Vicky closed her eyes and focused instead on enjoying their closeness.

"I'm saying it _is_, so it is."

Vicky slowly opened her eyes, she could feel them welling up... She hated how he made her feel sometimes... Those two brilliant blue orbs were staring back at her, and the concern in them wasn't particularly well-hidden. "You know you're the only person I've ever gotten this close to."

"I know." he nodded his head against hers.

"And yet... You still won't let me in. Is it because you hate me?"

"No... It isn't that at all and you know it. I wouldn't have asked you to live with me if I hated you... I just don't want to complicate things if they should go wrong... and there's _a lot_ that could go wrong." he looked away again as he finished.

"So is our closeness wrong?" she pulled away slightly to get a better look at his face.

"Is it _right_?" his eyes met hers again.

She could tell he wasn't being clever, it was a genuine question, one she wasn't sure she had the answer to. "I asked first."

"_Right. She _would_ be like this."_ Timmy found himself torn between telling her the truth, and telling her something that would essentially keep things between them the same. He settled for a compromise between the two. "No. We've known each other long enough... It's only natural that we'd gravitate toward one another in our current living situation and arrangement."

"Arrangement? Is _that_ what we're calling it now?" she quirked an eyebrow up and shot him a small smile.

"Better than calling it a dependency, don't you think?"

Vicky looked away towards the windows. "Maybe..."

"Your turn."

"_He still wants his answer..."_ Vicky thought to herself. "I dunno. Maybe it isn't, but... It's not _wrong_, you said it yourself!"

"I did. It _isn't_ wrong."

"But it's not necessarily 'right', either... Is that what you're saying?"

"No... I want to know what _you_ think. Do you think it's right?"

"You answer first." she narrowed her eyes at him, but bore a look mostly of indifference.

"It's your question."

"Too bad."

She clearly wasn't planning on cooperating with him. "In terms of what we are to each other, yes, it is right."

"But I mean _more_ than that. Nevermind what's expected, I want to know if _you_ think it's right."

"...Did you really just turn my own question around on me?"

"...Perhaps."

"You should be a lawyer, you're great at talking circles around people."

"I'll take that as a compliment, though it could just be that you're easy to talk circles around."

"...I like being around you, I like that you live with me. And... I trust you. More than I do most other people... So in that regard, how can you say I won't let you in?" Timmy smirked now. "You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who was as willing to put up with you as much as I am."

"I'm... not sure if that was an insult or a compliment..."

"Probably a little of column A and a little of column B." Timmy shrugged.

"Hmph. So it's not right, and it's not wrong." Vicky released his cheeks and moved to get off of Timmy, only to stop as he grabbed her wrist. "What?"

"Now you don't want to?"

She raised an eyebrow and smiled knowingly. "This is an interesting change of pace... You're saying you _do_ want me to...?"

He wanted to put her on the spot and tell her that she 'needed' to, but she was usually very emotional when she did 'need' to, so he'd just end up in another argument with her if he did say that. "Like I said: I trust you."

"And... you know I need to anyway." Vicky relaxed in his lap again. She couldn't really deny her needs... That could end badly. Even if him actually _wanting _this was... odd, to say the least. She snaked her left arm over his right shoulder and leaned her head past him until her lips met his neck and planted a light kiss on it. Then another, slightly more forceful and passionate than the last... Followed by yet another.

"Do you _have_ to do that?"

Vicky pulled away and leaned in close to his ear. "You know how much of a tease I am..." She felt him wrap his arms back around her, and pull her against him. His heart was practically beating out of his chest. She giggled at that. "And I do so _love _when I get this sort of reaction out of you." The red-head leaned back down towards her brunet roommate's neck and sucked at the sensitive flesh, which would likely leave a red mark once she pulled away.

"V-Vicky..." Timmy moaned out.

She mentally chuckled at _that_. He could push her away all he wanted. She knew she could turn him on, and she knew that he loved her little teasing games, even if he'd never admit it. Once more she kissed his neck, making sure to lightly graze it with her teeth, causing him to shudder and tighten his hold on her. "Playing with a girl's heart can have serious consequences... You know that, right?" She didn't bother waiting for a response this time as she brought her lips once more to his neck... And sunk her fangs into the soft flesh.

The act immediately made Timmy tighten his grip even more, though this only lasted for a few seconds until he relaxed, but didn't release her.

Vicky barely noticed however, as she drank deeply of her roommate's blood. She kept her eyes trained on him, or at least as much of him that she could see from her current position, until she heard him release a shaky breath, at which point she closed her eyes and slowed down her drinking.

A few minutes later and she pulled away and licked her lips as she got off his lap. "You okay?" she looked at the brunet, whose skin had now paled slightly.

Timmy sighed out tiredly. "I'm good."

"I'll say, I don't think I'll ever get over how good virgin blood tastes." her own skin had lost its previous pale color, and was now significantly more lively in color, and her pink eyes were far more vibrant than they had been when she got up.

This elicited an almost immediate blush in Timmy as he rubbed at his neck, despite the fact that she had made sure it healed over already.

"Ooh... Still got enough blood in you to blush I see!"

Timmy stood up from the couch. "Yeah, I'm... Ugh..." he brought his hand up to his forehead and slumped back down on the couch.

"Easy, easy!" Vicky sat down next to him, her voice filled with concern. "Give your body a few minutes to restock at least! ...Or... I didn't take too much, did I?"

"No... No I just need to... take five..." Timmy pulled his legs up on the couch to sit cross-legged, then reached over and grabbed Vicky to pull her back into his lap. "You stay right here..." he leaned back against the couch and pulled her with him so her back was against his chest, then rested his head on her shoulder.

"You sure like cuddling with me after I finish, don't ya?" she grinned as she felt his cheek that rested against hers heat up as she said this, though she was pretty sure he couldn't see it.

"I-I'm cold! It only makes sense for me to seek out warmth when I'm cold and half-drained of blood!"

"...Seek out warmth from a vampire. _That_ makes sense."

"About as much sense as letting a vampire live with me, wake me up at odd hours, and drink my blood whenever she's feeling thirsty."

"...Fair enough."

"Besides, now that you've had your fill, you're warming up pretty fast..." Timmy inhaled deeply, finally getting his breathing and heart rate back to normal. "You're getting pretty good at that; didn't hurt _nearly_ as much as it used to."

"You're just lucky I don't feel like holding a grudge this morning, especially after that 'mistake' comment."

"...I could've- I'm sorry I said that. _That_ was stupid of me..."

She could tell from the tone in his voice that he was being genuine- Or... Well, it was actually pretty rare that Timmy _wasn't_ genuine when he talked to her, especially when he was... temporarily anemic. "Suppose I can't _really_ hold it against you..."

"Well... you _could_... But I'm glad you won't." She wanted to ask if that meant his holding her _wasn't_ a mistake... But she felt better off not asking. Right now, this was enough for her. She heard Timmy deeply inhale through his nose behind her.

"You smell nice..."

"You just think I do because of the lack of blood going to your brain... Give it a few minutes and you'll be thinking more clearly."

"Would it kill you to take a compliment?"

"Can't kill what's already dead, you know that."

Timmy put his arms around her and let them come to rest on her stomach. "At the risk of incriminating myself-"

"Something you're conscious of..."

"You're alive to me, and for the person that you're closest to, isn't that what matters?"

"Maybe..." it was her turn to blush now.

"Difficult as always. I'm gonna get a few more minutes of sleep... You mind staying like this?"

Vicky sighed in fake aggravation. "I guess not..."

"Good."

She felt Timmy relax, yet he didn't relinquish his grip on her, leaving her no choice but to stay where she was. After a few minutes of slight fidgeting, Vicky relaxed as well. She wasn't too stubborn to admit(to herself) that she enjoyed being held like this.

Vicky looked over her shoulder at her roommate. Puberty had given him the gift of height, and after ten years of being a Twerp in her eyes, Timmy was finally taller than her, if only a little. He had also bulked up a bit. Likely because of his job. Not by much though, he was fairly lean, though not scrawny.

She, on the other hand... She hadn't changed much at all. Despite being twenty-four, her physique remained the same as when she was eighteen; which made sense, considering she was eighteen when she received her current... 'affliction'. Sure, she had curves(in all the right places, thank you very much), but she essentially stopped growing after her 'death'. She no longer gained any weight, which included muscle mass, and not even excessive eating(or feeding) could change that. Though going without blood for too long did usually cause her to... wither, she supposed.

Timmy sighed in contentment behind her, and she felt herself growing uncomfortably warm, so she shrugged the blanket off her shoulders before relaxing again.

She lied to him. Again. She _had_ taken more than she needed. He could say any number of sweet things while his mind was addled by blood loss, she knew that he didn't mean them, not really. But taking more than she needed was the only way she could get him to hold her like this, nevermind how wrong it was, how guilty it made her feel... "If only you weren't so stubborn to..."

"To what?"

She jumped at hearing the brunet's voice, she thought for sure that he'd gone back to sleep! "N-nothing! Just thinking out loud!"

"Oh." Timmy yawned and nuzzled his cheek against hers. "Alright then."

She had to wonder though, would blood loss really make him this affectionate? Or did some part of him actually like her, more than just for company and warmth? It might even be that deep down he enjoyed her using him...

Was that what this was? Sure, she knew that finding someone that was willing to give up their blood so she could keep living was rare, but... Was she merely using him?

No. No, it couldn't be that. She had 'used' others, drained them of every drop, ended them. Timmy... Her Twerp, her friend... If she had planned on simply using him... He would have met the same fate as the others... But they hadn't known about her affliction, he did, and accepted her without a second thought.

At the time, she knew... Or... she thought she knew... That it was just his way of being a martyr, keeping her from hurting others, by offering himself up for them... But she was wrong. He had once told her, a few months back, in a very similar situation to this one, that he wanted her to be... 'safe'. If she fed off him, she didn't have to worry about leaving a trail, being discovered.

She was willing to bet that he had no idea how much that meant to her. It was enough to make her heart start beating again...

"You alright?"

"Hm?" she looked over her shoulder at him again. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Your heart's beating pretty fast for a vampire."

"...Go back to sleep, Timmy."

He looked at her quizzically now, then frowned after a few seconds and looked away. "I... I'm not making this easy for you, am I?"

Was he reading her mind? Or was her body language that easy to read? "What do you mean?"

"You _know_ what I mean."

She looked away. Too much time together meant they could read each other remarkably well, despite her attempts at being the stereotypical 'mysterious vampire'. "You've given enough. I have a safe place to live and sleep, no need to go out and... y'know... And you trust me. That's more than enough, considering our past and my condition." she wasn't entirely sure if she was trying to convince Timmy, or herself now. That last statement was a lie though. To both of them.

Call her greedy if you want, Vicky wanted more than what Timmy gave her. _So_ much more. She wanted... What? What exactly _did_ she want from Timmy? It felt like it was on the tip of her tongue, but her tongue was elsewhere.

"But it's not enough, is it? You want something else." he shifted his gaze back to her, his icy blue eyes meeting her fiery pink(and unsure) eyes.

She didn't know what she wanted. For him to love her? Was that what she sought from him? Someone like her shouldn't love someone like him. She wished she could share his sentiment in that regard. But he let her move in with him, kept her safe, let her feed on him so she wouldn't risk discovery from feeding on others... And... _trusted_ her. Today he _asked_ her if she wanted to...

"Y'know, you took a big risk today, telling me you trusted me, that you _wanted_ me to do... _that_. What if I had drained you dry?"

"I knew you wouldn't. Trust is the most important ingredient in a relationship... And I know you. You wouldn't jeopardize something as good as this, would you?"

Honestly? She might. Were he any other person, she probably would. "Maybe you're just one of the lucky ones, ever think of that?"

Timmy chuckled at this and relaxed once more as he closed his eyes. "Maybe I am. We should get some rest."

"I'm not even tired!" she exclaimed petulantly, like a child who had just been told that she had to go to bed early.

"After drinking my blood? Yeah, I wouldn't really expect you to be, but _I_ am. And seeing as how _I'm_ the victim here, _you're_ staying here and cuddling with me."

"Ooh... So possessive..."

Timmy responded by tightening his grip on Vicky and smirking.

"_Maybe..._ _maybe this is enough..." _One of her favorite things about Timmy was how he made her feel. Not the fluttery feeling... Or... not _just_ that. He made her feel- Wait. Why was she thinking this? Once more Vicky looked over her shoulder at her now apparently sleeping roommate. Sure, she might live forever, but Timmy... He wouldn't, and she wasn't about to force her 'gift' on him. She'd only give it to him if he wanted it, she promised herself that.

So he was frail, short-lived, _human_. He'd be gone one day, and she'd still be here... _"And he'll never know..." _"Hey! Wake up!" Vicky turned around and plopped back down in his lap so she was facing him again. Consequences be damned, she was gonna tell him, and he was gonna listen!

"Huh? What's up?" Timmy rubbed at his right eye, and looked Vicky up and down, clearly unfazed by the facts that she had changed positions, nearly completely ditched the blanket/cloak, and that the right shoulder of her tank-top had slipped down her arm, leaving said shoulder bare.

"I've... Got something I want to tell you, something I want you to be awake for."

Timmy yawned. "'Kay." he realized she must've knocked his arms away from her when she turned around and returned them to resting on her, now on the small of her back instead of her stomach. He wasn't about to let her get away.

"I..." she seriously considered forgetting the whole thing and just resting on the couch with Timmy...

"You're biting your lip."

"Huh?"

"Your lip." Timmy pointed to his own lower lip. "You're biting it."

"Look." Vicky stopped biting her lip and looked at Timmy seriously. "I... I like you."

"I like you too-"

"No Timmy. Think carefully here. I'm not talking about liking me as a platonic friend-slash-roommate."

"Vicky... I-"

"Just. Let me say what I want to say, please?" she nearly laughed at how nervous Timmy became at these words.

"A-alright." Timmy nodded.

"I don't know what I expect to happen when I tell you what I'm about to tell you... But I'd rather tell you than... than wonder about what could've been. I've got a long, long time to think, y'know?"

Timmy nodded again.

"Everything you've done to help me... You know I appreciate it. And I'm-" Vicky sighed, which slowly turned into an almost growl. "I'm not very... good at the whole 'expressing my emotions' thing..."

"...Hold on, let me write this down."

Vicky punched Timmy in the shoulder.

"Ah! I don't think you know your own strength..."

"Smartass comments may be hazardous to your health." she growled out at him.

"_Okay... she's mad now..."_ "I'll be quiet."

"I doubt that... I like being with you, okay? I like when you hold me, I like that you trust me, I like just... being around you. I find myself... just sitting around here, waiting for you to get home when I get here before you, or waiting for you to wake up when I get up before you-"

"Or you just wake me up by breaking something..."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What? It's true!" Timmy shrugged.

"Ugh! Nevermind! Is it too much to ask for you to take my feelings seriously?!" Vicky moved to get up, only to be prevented from doing so as Timmy's arms kept her on his lap. "Let me go."

"Nope." Timmy replied nonchalantly.

"I get that you're not in the right frame of mind because most of your blood is in me, and the rest is trying to figure out if it should head to your brain or your dick, but I _will_ kill you if you don't let me go!"

"Mm-mm. You tell me what you wanted to say, then I _might_ let you go."

She looked down at him and grimaced, but knew better than to try and get away. Not that she couldn't. He was a half-anemic human, and she was a vampire that had just fed. She could probably snap him in two with little to no effort. "Fine. I was gonna say..."

"Yeah...?" Timmy tightened his grip on Vicky and pulled her closer so her forehead rested against his again.

She felt her anger snuff out. Like it was there one moment, and gone the next. "You... make me feel... Normal again."

"...You're not a monster, Vicky."

"I'm certainly not human... But I appreciate you saying that."

"Say... I know what this is about!"

"Really now?" she raised an eyebrow. "What's this about then?"

"You love me, don't you?"

"_Fuck."_ Vicky pulled away. "What the hell gave you-"

"Vicky." Timmy leaned forward, seeing as how Vicky was valiantly resisting(though in vain), to make their foreheads meet again. "Just say it."

"You like doing this, don't you?" Vicky nodded, brushing her forehead against his.

"I do. Say it."

"I... Iloveyou."

"Hm? That was a little quick, not sure I heard you-"

"You wanna get bit again?"

"Depends on how gentle you'll be."

"One of these days, you're gonna regret tempting fate like you do-" she stopped as Timmy pressed his lips to hers and slid his right hand up her back to entangle it in her hair. She wasn't all that surprised, he tended to do some pretty bold things after she fed... But this was definitely the boldest... So far.

His tongue brushed against her lips as he pulled away. "You taste like blood." he giggled as he licked his own lips.

"Ugh... Go back to sleep already..." Vicky felt her face heat up again and turned around so her back was to Timmy.

"Not going anywhere, right?"

"...No." she leaned back against him and closed her eyes as she felt him relax too. _"If this _is _a dependency... Then it's about more than just the blood..."_

Timmy looked at the girl resting in his arms. She probably thought he'd already gone back to sleep. _"I'll... I'll tell her when I wake up. That way... I'll be absolutely sure that I feel the same..." _He leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek, then laid his head back and let sleep claim him.

And Vicky cracked an eye open and smiled.


End file.
